China''s rise and Russian aggression have upended the global balance of power. The US has proven an unstable partner. Illiberalism is gaining ground. It''s time to admit that Europe is once again central to Britain''s future.
The Continent houses our allies and friends. We still trade more with the EU than with anyone else. Like a court order in a divorce, the Brexit deal contains our bare legal obligations. Yet as dangerous forces gather and global technologies stoke animosity, we have a wider duty. If Britain and Europe can''t work together, what chance do democracy and the rule of law have?
Labour aims for a ''reset''. Barrister and mediator Marina Wheeler proposes something more radical: a roadmap towards a meaningful rapprochement. In A More Perfect Union, she tackles the political anxieties and identity crises on both sides of the Channel, and makes the case that transforming this relationship is now critical if our fundamental political liberties are to survive another generation. Concise, forensic, devastating, it is essential reading no matter which side you were on.
The bitterness of the past decade is receding. It''s time to build a union that honours the 40 years we were together.
